Chapter 69

Chapter 69

I had expected Andrew to learn about my missed appointment. I hadn’t expected him to learn about it as quickly as he did.

That night, Andrew called me via video chat. Fearing the worst, I almost didn’t answer. Still, I knew that it would only make things worse if I didn’t, so I picked up on the second ring.

“Hello?” I asked timidly.

“Why didn’t you go to your appointment today?” Andrew asked, skipping out on all pleasantries.

I sighed.

“I didn’t feel well-”

“Bullshit. Tell me the truth.”

“I just didn’t feel like going-”

“You didn’t feel like going?” Andrew’s eyes flashed. “How do you expect to get better if you don’t take the necessary steps?”

“Andrew, you don’t understand-

“What don’t I understand? You had a chance to talk through your issues, and you bailed on it. I won’t bother to give you the tools to make your

don’t use them.”

Tears pricked at the edges of my eyes.

“I understand, but you aren’t listening to me-”

“What am I not listening to? Why didn’t you go?”

life better if yo

“I was scared!” I covered my eyes with my hand as I cried. “I panicked, okay?”

“You panicked?” Andrew’s voice grew much softer. “Why?”

“I’m scared to talk to a stranger about all of this.” I sniffled as I tried to wipe the tears from my eyes. “What if she judges me?”

“She’s a therapist. She won’t judge you.”

He said that as though it were the most obvious statement in the world. How did

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Chapter 69

he know? Everyone judged everyone else all the time, no matter what their occupation.

“What if she asks me uncomfortable questions about what happened?”

4S15%E

“Well, it might happen, but it will only be to help you get to the root of your trauma and overcome it.”

I huffed.

“You make it sound as if it’ll be so easy.”

“It won’t be, trust me. It will take many, many sessions, and you may never fully be rid of your trauma-

“That sounds promising.”

Andrew chuckled dryly.

“I know. You may never be fully rid of your trauma, but you can heal from it. It will just take time and your cooperation.”

I didn’t answer for a minute, deep in thought. Andrew let me have my silence.

“How do I know that I can trust her with everything?” I finally asked. “With the details of the attack, with the nightmares…with how I feel?”

Andrew pursed his l*ps.

“I suppose that you won’t know until you meet her.”

That didn’t ease my anxiety at all.

“How about this,” he continued, “if you feel as though you can’t trust her after the first session, I will personally help you find a new trauma counselor, no questions asked? Would that work?”

I nodded.

“All right, but on one condition.”

Andrew cocked his head.

“What would that be?”

You take me to the appointment.

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Chapter 69

“Deal.”

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As promised, Andrew drove me to the next open appointment four days later and even stayed in the waiting room as I was taken to Dr. Sherman’s office. It gave me some comfort, knowing that he was out there waiting for me. Still, it wasn’t enough to keep my heart from pounding erratically as I walked through the door and saw Dr. Sherman for the first time.

She was an unassuming woman with shoulder–length sandy blonde hair, pale skin, and deep brown eyes behind a pair of wire–framed glasses. She appeared to be middle–aged, though active, based on the pictures of her hiking various mountains decorating the office. She smiled at me, and I tried to smile back, but my nerves. caused my l*ps to quiver.

“Please, sit.” Dr. Sherman said, gesturing to the chair directly across from her desk. “You can also lie down, if you prefer.” She pointed to the couch set up against the back wall.

I nodded and took a seat in the chair by her desk.

“So, Ms. Blanchard–may I call you Crystal?”

“Crystal is fine.”

“Crystal, can you please tell me why you are here?”

I started to pull on my fingers and rub my hands beneath the desk.

“I’ve been having a lot of nightmares lately, and I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting someone to attack me. I have a guard on me at all times, so I shouldn’t have this fear, but I do.”

Dr. Sherman made some notes on an iPad.

“And do you know when these feelings started?”

1 nodded. Dr. Sherman waited patiently for me to proceed.

“I… was kidnapped recently and dropped off in vampiric territory recently. I barely escaped with my life.”

Twatched Dr. Sherman for some sort of reaction, but she merely watched me with an attentive expression.

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Chapter 69

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“Before that, I was threatened…twice. Once, someone left glass in my lunch along with a threatening note. After that, someone drugged me in the house that I was. staying at and left a note with a letter opener next to my head.”

Dr. Sherman took more notes before facing me again.

“That sounds very frightening. Those events must have had a deep effect on you.”

I nodded, trying to suppress my tears.

“I’m scared that it’ll happen again.”

“I’m sure that you are. Do you know who did it?”

I hesitated. Technically, the police had caught the people who had kidnapped me, but I knew that the true culprit–or culprits–was still out there. But could I trust. Dr. Sherman with that information?

“The police caught the men who kidnapped me,” I settled on saying.

“And what about the other incidents? Do you think that these men caused them as well?”

I shrugged, unsure of how to answer.

Dr. Sherman typed away on her iPad again. I wondered what she could be writing

about me.

“So, maybe you’re not sure if these people that the police caught caused everything that happened to you?” she asked.

I nodded. It was all that I could trust myself to do.

“And maybe this uncertainty has caused some insecurity in your surroundings, made you worried that whoever is truly behind all this could still be out there?”

“Yes,” I said, pulling on my index finger until I heard a satisfying pop.

“And that could be spiking your paranoia and manifesting during your sleep as your nightmares.”

“Yes.”

But do you feel that it is truly justified?”

What?”

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Chapter 69

“Do you feel that these emotions are justified, that your life is still in danger?”

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I paused, trying to figure out how much I could trust Dr. Sherman with. She seemed very logical so far, almost like Jeffrey in that way, and she did not seem to be judgmental. Still, I did not want to tell anyone who might tell Andrew about

Bob.

“Anything that you say here will stay here,” Dr. Sherman said, “but I must tell you that I am required, by law, to report if I believe that any of my patients are in immediate danger.”

This caused me to further hesitate. How was I supposed to respond to that?

“I… yes, I do think I’m in danger,” I admitted. “I don’t know if the police caught all the people involved in everything that happened to me. How am I supposed to feel safe under those conditions?”

For the first time that the entire session, Dr. Sherman showed a bit of emotion. She arched a brow at me and pursed her l*ps before typing on her iPad.

Did she see through my façade?

“You’re right. Those are very unsafe conditions, but there are ways to cope with it and your trauma,” she said. “Would you like to hear them?”

“I’m willing to try anything.”

**

After the appointment, I had a new journal and some coping mechanisms to try for my paranoia and nightmares. I went immediately to the front desk, and Andrew slid up to my side.

“How did it go?” he asked.

I kept my attention on the secretary.

“I’d like to make a follow–up appointment for next week,” I said.

I glanced at Andrew out of the corner of my eye. He smirked triumphantly,

and I couldn’t help but smile along with him.